Neutron Depth Profiling Study of Lithium Niobate Optical Waveguides

The relation between optical properties and the structure of proton exchanged and annealed proton exchanged optical waveguides in lithium niobate was studied using the mode spectroscopy and neutron depth profiling methods. We have found a close correlation between the lithium depletion and the depth profile of the extraordinary refractive index. The form of the observed dependence between Li depletion and refractive index depends on the fabrication procedure by which the waveguide was prepared but it is highly reproducible for specimens prepared by the same procedure.